Equity Focused Online Learning: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing Culturally Relevant Online Education

During the coronavirus-19 pandemic, education faced major overhauls in an incredibly short period of time but through these experiences educators and caregivers have uncovered best practices for themselves and their communities. After analyzing 136 completed surveys and 11 interviews looking specifically at questions around equity and various ways in which equity was brought into the discourse and more than a year of data analysis a conceptual framework for implementing culturally relevant online schooling developed. The framework identifies two core aspects, mechanical and conscious with eight (8) components to implementing equitable online education: infrastructure, devices, software, training, socioemotional, relevance, agency, and differentiation.


INTRODUCTION
As the coronavirus-19 pandemic turns endemic, online learning has been become a sort of lurking boogeyman for many parents and educators tainted by the rushed and often underfunded transition to online learning.Despite this many opportunities and lessons were learned throughout the experience.This article critically examines educator and caregiver discourse around emergency online schooling during the coronavirus-19 pandemic to identify pillars of a successful, equity-focused online learning program in elementary education.Equity, in this article, is defined as the disruption of oppression based on race or ethnicity, socioeconomic-status, and/or ability and can be envisioned and assessed as the desired outcomes of culturally relevant pedagogy: student achievement in the form of student success, multicultural competency, and critical sociopolitical consciousness (Ladson-Billings, 1995a;2007).This research builds upon earlier research into online schooling (

LITERATURE REVIEW
The coronavirus pandemic made stark the disparities in access, with sufficient internet access being unobtainable to many households due to base level issues such as availability and expense (Lai & Widmar, 2021).In this crisis schools were asked to mitigate these societal issues and ensure accessible public education.Traditional educators, particularly in early childhood and elementary levels, were asked to rethink their core values and even their identities as teachers (Kim & Ashbury, 2020).Educators changed outreach models to teach in new ways (Padma, 2021) and built upon projectbased learning initiatives (Powers, Brown, & Wyatt, 2020), fostered new communities of practice (McQuirter, 2020), and uncovered opportunities to change inequitable systems and structures in their own schools and classrooms (Ladson-Billings G. , 2021a).
Given the controversy and potential surrounding online learning, particularly considering the impact of the pandemic, having a strong theoretical framework for any implementation is important.Early work in instructional technology implementation was built on a diffusion model where technology permeated cultures which could then be adopted into schools (Rogers & Shoemaker, 1995).Later practical theorists pushed past a diffusion and adoption model towards implementation of new media technologies as tools of change (Fullan & Stiegelbauer, 1991).Successful implementations of educational technologies have long included: a critical dissatisfaction of the status quo, knowledge and skills of the technology being implemented, available resources, time to implement, a reward or incentive system, participant buy-in, commitment to the continued implementation, and a strong leadership team (Ely, 1999).Further, multiple barriers to implementation have been identified by numerous studies including resources, skills and knowledge, institutional structures, attitude and beliefs, and overall content and assessment cultures (Hew & Brush, 2007).Still other researchers have acknowledged that the successful implementation of technology integration into classroom practice "has been a process of overcoming obvious as well as culturally entrenched barriers" (Laferriere, Hamel, & Searson, 2013, p. 471).In drawing from research on technology implementation in classrooms this framework acknowledges the struggles educators often face when implementing new technologies.
Due to the unique, complex social, cultural, and political nature of the transition to online learning during the pandemic, situational analysis (Clarke, 2003; Clarke, Friese, & Washburn, 2018) was implemented.Situational analysis applies a postmodernist understanding through positionality, fragmentation, complexity, contradiction, and situatedness (Clarke, 2003).As a visual analytic approach, it can be a valuable resource in socially responsive and community engaged research (Aldrich & Laliberte, 2016).These visual representations throughout the early stages of the analysis and data collection process provoked a deeper analysis into the complex positionalities, connections, experiences, and contradictions in the data.
To answer the dual question, in what ways has online schooling been (in)accessible to educators and caregivers in the transition to online learning in the pandemic, over the course of nearly two years mixed methods surveys and 11 interviews, six educator and five caregivers, were coded in two rounds (Charmaz, 2000;2006) and then compared using a two-variable case-ordered matrix (Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, 2014).Data analysis and data collection were completed synchronously until saturation appeared to be met (Charmaz, 2000;Corbin & Strauss, 2008;Glaser & Strauss, 1967).Further data visualizations such as a two-variable case-ordered matrix (Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, 2014) and situational maps (Clarke, Friese, & Washburn, 2018) were used throughout the process as a means of further analysis, questioning, and developing theory.
While this research project was initially focused on the technological components which either assisted or hindered online learning after comparing the data around equity overlaps in what educators and caregivers perceived as all students needing for success in online schooling presented.Additionally, evolving situational maps such as those seen in Figure 1 were used for "examining the relations among them" (Clarke, Friese,& Washburn, 2018).The findings from these data visualizations reaffirmed the dominant themes and conceptual categories from previous axial coding increasing validity.

FINDINGS
After analyzing 136 completed surveys and 11 interviews looking specifically at questions around equity and various ways in which equity was brought into the discourse and more than two years of constant comparison (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), simultaneous coding with open coding and in-vivo coding, axial coding,  As Ladson-Billings (1995a) originally wrote, for something to be culturally relevant pedagogically it must include: student achievement, cultural competence, and a critical socio-political consciousness on behalf of the educator implementing the pedagogy.As such the framework must be implemented in conjunction with an educator's own critical development.Further, it is important to note framework includes a balance of two equally important halves, a mechanical aspect which includes the tools and technology to be implemented and a conscious aspect which includes the human aspect of a sociocultural educational system.

Mechanical
• Infrastructure There is no doubt that the coronavirus laid bare the disparity in internet access with many rural and lower-socioeconomic families facing disproportionate burdens in internet access (Lai & Widmar, 2021).Throughout the survey and interview data educators and caregivers alike were concerned with necessary internet infrastructure, if not for their own children, for others.Even more economically stable, suburban families who could afford and had access to high-speed internet struggled.Katie, a single mother in a suburban, "well-respected" district shared, that despite paying for the highest speed internet available, it was frequently throttled or would drop for no apparent reason.Every caregiver and educator response made some comment acknowledging either their concern about internet infrastructure, struggle with it, or feelings of privilege with consistent access.To develop and implement equitable online learning attention to internet infrastructure must be considered to include as many possible points as possible of access for all families.

• Devices
Interwoven with the discourse around internet access was the discussion around devices by which to access it.One-to-one device implementations, bring-your-own-device, two-to-one and even three-to-one computing had been gaining traction in education well before the start of the pandemic (Selwyn, Nemorin, Bulfin, & Johnson, 2017).Uruguay went as far as implementing a one laptop per child policy and in doing so uncovered the unique demands of one-to-one computing with children and developed device management and maintenance protocols (Osimani, Stecanella, Capdehourat, Etcheverry, & Grampin, 2019).In this new age of information, the boundaries of what could be accessed within a classroom had clear impacts on foundational tenets of education (Balas & Davies, 2017; Philip & Garcia, 2013; Selwyn, 2012), democratizing pedagogy and fostering student centered learning (Ng, 2015).Yet despite these pre-pandemic advances, the pandemic highlighted the disparity in access to quality devices capable of handling online learning.
In the data educators most often expressed concern about students having to share devices at home or not having reliable access to powerful enough devices to work well.Educator and caregiver discourses focused generally on relief if they could provide oneto-one devices, particularly if they had previously been one to one school, or anxiety about the struggles of not having adequate devices.Ensuring one to one access with devices and peripherals which can handle the demands of online learning are a crucial component to implementing an equity focused online learning program.This may mean that implementation cannot be considered without adequate fiscal resources to ensure continued efficacy.
• Software Education and human-computer interaction researchers have long since understood the benefits of high-quality educational software for student learning and this becomes even more important in an online environment.Having access to software that is welldesigned; long-lived, adaptive, collaborative, and autonomous produces significant learning outcomes particularly for challenging content (Detlor, 2004;Moreno, Mayer, Spires, & Lester, 2001).At the elementary level in particular having access to such well-designed software can not only increase learning performance measured in traditional assessments but also foster a positive perception of learning (Yilmaz & Kilic-Cakmak, 2012).This research further supports these previous findings by highlighting their importance for both educators and caregivers alike during the coronavirus pandemic.
When educators and caregivers expressed contentment, success, or ease with online learning half of the time they mentioned specific software which they believed allowed them to be more successful.Having access to high quality software which educators and caregivers felt comfortable with made a significant difference in how educators and caregivers approached online learning.To implement an equity focused online learning environment all involved parties need to have accessible, high-quality, well-considered software to support the unique needs of their communities.
• Training Stories from educators and caregivers who felt empowered during online learning included a confluence with all three previous considerations: accessing the internet, navigating a personal device, and implementing and using related software, however, this took time, experience, and when lucky great training.Frequently implemented and studied frameworks such as the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) or ICT-Pedagogy Integration Teacher Training (Jung, 2005) equally highlight the importance of training in teacher and community buy in for any successful technology implementation.Yet, few studies have been found to address the importance of caregiver training, particularly with younger users.As participants demonstrated having the time and practice to engage with the mechanical tools of online learning supported with adequate training such that all involved parties have the confidence to engage with the technology makes online learning a more enjoyable and equitable environment for all.
Similarly, educators who felt well trained and who had a community of practice which they could turn to reported similarly more positive experiences with online learning.As one educator survey respondent shared, "My district has provided a lot of information and instruction around online learning.It was overwhelming at first.Once I got into the groove, I was very thankful for these resources and for my colleagues who are happy to coach me on new technology if I need help." (Educator Survey, June 2020) Educators who expressed more negative language within the survey often simultaneously expressed a lack of adequate training, time, or professional support in the transition to online learning.As another educator survey respondent simply stated, "Need more professional development to support teachers.This came upon all of us very quickly so everyone is doing the best they can but there needs to be improvements" (Educator Survey, May 2020).Training to support educators and caregivers who will support online learning can help ensure an equitable foundation for engagement.

Conscious
• Relevance For any learning, traditional or online, to be equitable for the students, families, and communities represented within it, each stakeholder must be embraced for their unique cultures and the assets our differences offer us.Research has repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of culturally and linguistically relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies for fostering historically marginalized student groups (Castango & Brayboy, 2008;Gay, 2010;Gonzalez, Moll, & Amanti, 2005; Ladson-Billings, 1995a; Ladson-Billings, 1995b; Ladson-Billiings, 2014; Ladson-Billings, 2021a; Ladson-Billings, 2021b).In the data this often presented as caregivers and educators equally feeling connected with open lines of communication saying such things as "checks in frequently" or "communication was [positive emotion]" which indicated a trusting, respectful relationship where communication went both ways.As one caregiver survey respondent shared, "Our youngest child is on an IEP and she has live online meetings 2-3 times a day with special educators.She is doing very well!" (Caregiver Survey, June 2020).When this personal relevance to the students and families was not present then negative emotive words presented more heavily in the caregivers' responses In educator surveys and interviews these issues of being able to relate and celebrate their students' identities and provide what they knew to be relevant to their students was frequently met with barriers due to administrative and legal expectations and requirements, transitions to new media, and adaptation to online learning models.Culturally and linguistically relevant and sustaining pedagogies and the connections and relationships they build are an important component to any classroom, including online classrooms.

• Agency
The development of agency in learning is important an important component in any equity-focused classroom (Freire, 1970;Freire, 1985;Matusov, Von Duyke, & Kayumova, 2016).Developing a strong sense of agency in learning is a key component in creating lifelong learners (Ya-Hui, 2011).Prior to the coronavirus-19 pandemic researchers were already aware that students could demonstrate agency in virtual learning environments in ways which directly impacted student learning outcomes as measured on traditional assessments (Mercier, Avaca, Whissell-Turner, Paradis, & Mikropoulos, 2020).During the pandemic, yet other researchers connected student agency to online engagement (Almusharraf & Bailey, 2021).In the data, caregivers who expressed success and/or positive emotions around online learning often discussed opportunities for their children to take leadership in their own learning.Yet there is no doubt that educators and learners adapted to online learning throughout the experience learning new tools and technologies to be successful and demonstrate agency in the classroom.
It is also important to note that students in a democratic classroom (Apple, 1987) need to be able to demonstrate agency both individually and collectively.In the interviews [Jamie], expressed frustration with only being able to offer online learning in asynchronous formats, most often prerecorded videos.Yet she compensated for this administrative requirement by offering live sessions for morning meetings and a form of office hours expressed as being beneficial.Providing students, educators, and caregivers with opportunities to express agency fosters an equity focused online learning implementation.
• Differentiation Differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, 2014) or individualized instruction (Waxman, Alford, Brown, Hattie, & Anderman, 2013), has long been an important component in inclusive classrooms benefiting all students through pedagogical practice and technological implementation (Deunk, Smale-Jacobse, de Boer, Doolaard, & Bosker, 2018).Online learning has long been touted to create more accessible educational opportunities for all students through individualized education (Cavanaugh, Barbour, & Clark, 2009; Hashey & Stahl, 2014; Picciano, Seaman, Shea, & Swan, 2012).Perhaps due to the rushed implementations on such a massive scale this opportunity often seemed missed in the data around online learning at the elementary level.Many of the caregivers in the survey expressed either an appreciation for educators who were providing differentiated learning experiences online often specifically saying some variation on "differentiation" or "individualized" or negativity based on a desired for less "cookie-cutter" or "contrived" work.
[Susan] a small town, southern librarian and mother described choosing to pull her son from public schools in favor of home schooling, in part, due to the lack of differentiated and diverse learning opportunities and curriculums available at her local school.In another unique position during online learning during the pandemic was [Thelma], a special educator in a "most-restrictive environment" described the measures to which she and her colleagues took to ensure a differentiated learning experience online through relationships, relevance, and individualized attention.As previous research has shown, online learning and educational software can provide a unique opportunity for individualized, differentiated learning (Cavanaugh, Barbour, & Clark, 2009; Hashey & Stahl, 2014; Picciano, Seaman, Shea, & Swan, 2012) when well implemented.Embracing differentiated instruction must be considered in an equity focused online learning implementation.

• Socioemotional
The idea that children develop social relationships online has been an evolving concept since the advent of home computing, online bulletin boards, messenger services, and social media networks.By the late 2000's the majority of youth viewed electronic communication methods as "critical tools for their social life" (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2008, p. 2).Researchers who investigate issues of cyberbullying and youth internet use know that children place importance on online social relationships (Bohnert & Garcia, 2020) and that these relationships are forming beyond previously confining local social networks (Abbasi-Shavazi & Homayoon, 2016).Further researchers are aware about the benefits of building online communities of practice to foster collaborative, deep learning (Lejealle, Castellano, & Khelladi, 2021).Yet throughout the data many educators and caregivers expressed a flat-out disbelief that socio-emotional learning could occur in an online environment.An educator survey respondent simply stated, "They are too young for that type of learning, they need social opportunities" (Educator Survey, June 2020).
Many caregivers and educators described a sense of isolation or loss in the sudden transition to online learning.As one caregiver survey respondent shared, "I really wish the teacher would interact by video or phone with the students, even if just for 5 minutes per week.I wish the class could hang out on video calls with each other.We feel very isolated" (Caregiver Survey, June 2020).Similarly, an educator survey respondent shared, "Our school is the heart of our community!With school basically shut down, I'm concerned with what the isolation has done to our community" (Educator Survey, May 2020).As the data has demonstrated, there is an intense need to focus on providing ample socioemotional development opportunities for students and families and, as in any classroom, foster strong relationships between stakeholders.Drawing from social networking, gaming communities, and online communities of practice an equity focused online learning implementation must consider the students', educators', and caregivers' socioemotional connections and opportunities.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
The insights gained from those adults on the frontlines of elementary emergency online schooling has implications far beyond the pandemic.The effects of emergency implementation had a no doubt negative impact on public perceptions of online learning and yet as this framework demonstrates we collectively improved online schooling as the pandemic continued.The intent of this equityoriented framework for implementing online schooling is to take that growth and condense it into something we can use moving forward not only to implement online schooling equitable but to also consider how we implement technologies into traditional in-person classrooms.
When accounting for the conscious this framework allows us to borrow from culturally relevant and other asset-based pedagogies (Castango & Brayboy, 2008;Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings G., 1995a; Ladson-Billings G., 2021b) to allow us to focus on the individual child as well as the collective classroom.Focusing on students' collective socioemotional development and individual relevance while providing opportunities for agency in a differentiated classroom is meant to call attention to the whole of what we have learned not just prior in educational research but through the lived experiences of educators and caregivers who tested online learning and voiced their needs in the data.While the mechanical aspect of this framework may seem straightforward as the data has shown us it is not always black and white.Where infrastructure and devices were dominate in the discourse, they share an equal space in this framework with software and training because when they were missing from participants experiences, they formed a nearly equal barrier to participation.
While the data originates and was initially intended to focus specifically on online schooling the nature of the framework may serve as a valuable guide for how we move forward with technologyintegrated learning in classrooms to come.Future co-design (Burkett, 2012) based implementations to test this framework in equityfocused, elementary online learning environments as well as when considering technology integrated learning implementations in traditional in-person classrooms would be beneficial and may lead to further refinement of the framework.On the same note, this framework requires further researching the experiences of the students with the implementation of this framework would certainly lead to further refinement.
During the coronavirus-19 pandemic, education faced major overhauls in an incredibly short period of time but through these experiences educators and caregivers have uncovered best practices for themselves and their communities.In this collective knowledge we may be able to move forward and continue to provide online learning experiences for all interested stakeholders in equityfocused ways through this theoretical framework.While many of the considerations in this framework rely on infrastructure that may not be accessible in all areas yet by identifying the importance of each of these components we may advocate for a more equitable future and consider each component as equally important for each involved stakeholder before implementation.

Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Evolving "messy" situational map of equity in online learning.